Prosecutors are investigating if a crime was committed when an Illinois judge allegedly allowed a law clerk to don a robe and preside over two court cases. A State's Attorney's office spokeswoman says the office learned of the allegations when court officials announced that Cook County Judge Valarie E. Turner had been removed from the bench indefinitely.
Clerk Rhonda Crawford has been suspended without pay. Crawford is an attorney running unopposed to be a judge in November.
A spokesman for the county's chief judge says Crawford allegedly presided over two traffic cases, and both cases now will be heard by a judge.
